Article 17 of the Saudi Government Tenders and Procurement Law
المادة 17 من نظام المنافسات والمشتريات الحكومية · الفصل السابع: البوابة
The article sets the portal's requirements: top privacy, security and transparency, information access for interested parties, a record for each government entity, and a fee set by the Council of Ministers.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- يجب أن يتوافر في البوابة أعلى درجات الخصوصية والسرية والأمان وشفافية المعلومات، مع ضمان سلامة الإجراءات.
2- يجب أن تتيح البوابة للراغبين والمهتمين من ذوي الشأن الاطلاع على المعلومات والبيانات المتعلقة بالمنافسات التي تحددها اللائحة.
3- يخصص في البوابة سجل لكل جهة حكومية يدون فيه جميع المعلومات والبيانات والإجراءات المتعلقة بما أبرمته من عقود وبما طرحته من مشاريع وأعمال وفقاً لما توضحه اللائحة.
4- تتقاضى الوزارة مقابلاً مالياً عن الخدمات التي تقدمها البوابة، ويحدد مجلس الوزراء مقدار هذا المقابل، ويجوز تعديله بقرار من المجلس بناءً على اقتراح من الوزارة.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 17 explained in plain English
This article sets the portal's requirements and provisions in four paragraphs:
1. Protection and transparency: The portal must have the highest degrees of privacy, confidentiality, security and information transparency, while ensuring the integrity of procedures. The portal combines protecting data with making information available.
2. Right of access: The portal must allow interested persons concerned to view the information and data relating to tenders that the Implementing Regulations specify. The scope of the information available is set by the Implementing Regulations, not by this article.
3. A record for each entity: The portal sets aside a record for each government entity in which all information, data and procedures are entered relating to the contracts it has concluded and the projects and works it has put out, as the Implementing Regulations explain.
4. The fee: The Ministry charges a fee for the portal's services. The Council of Ministers sets its amount, and it may be amended by a decision of the Council on a proposal from the Ministry. The article does not state the amount.
Relation to other articles: Article 16 makes the portal the rule for putting out tender procedures, and this article ensures the portal is secure and transparent. The Ministry means the Ministry of Finance under Article 1.
Practical example
A contracting firm in Taif wants to know the contracts a particular government entity concluded in past years in order to estimate the size of its work. The article provides for a record for each entity in the portal in which the contracts it concluded are entered, and for access by interested parties to the information the Implementing Regulations specify.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 17 of the Saudi Government Tenders and Procurement Law
Are the government procurement portal's services free?
No. The Ministry charges a fee for the portal's services, and the Council of Ministers sets its amount.
Can anyone view tender information?
The portal allows interested persons concerned to view the information and data that the Implementing Regulations specify.
What does a government entity's record on the portal contain?
All information, data and procedures relating to the contracts it has concluded and the projects and works it has put out, as the Implementing Regulations explain.
More articles on General Provisions and Principles of Government Tenders
- Article 1
The article defines the key terms used in the Government Tenders and Procurement Law, such as government entities, the portal, the framework agreement, qualification, the standstill period, and emergency and urgent cases.
يقصد بالعبارات والمصطلحات الآتية -أينما وردت في هذا النظام- المعاني الموضحة أمام كل منها، ما لم يقتض السياق خلاف ذلك: النظام: نظام المنافسات والمشتريات الحكومية
- Article 2
The article sets out the Law's objectives: regulating procedures for works and procurement and preventing abuse of influence, achieving the best value for public funds, and promoting integrity, equality, transparency and economic development.
يهدف النظام إلى الآتي: 1- تنظيم الإجراءات ذات الصلة بالأعمال والمشتريات، ومنع استغلال النفوذ وتأثير المصالح الشخصية فيها؛ وذلك حماية للمال العام. 2- تحقيق أفضل
- Article 3
The article requires government entities to deal only with licensed persons, and, when dealing with foreigners inside the Kingdom, to first confirm that there is not more than one qualified local person.
1- تتعامل الجهات الحكومية عند تنفيذ أعمالها وتأمين مشترياتها مع الأشخاص المرخص لهم بذلك، طبقاً للأنظمة والقواعد المتبعة. 2- على الجهة الحكومية عند تعاملها مع أش
- Article 4
The article provides that everyone who meets the conditions for dealing with a government entity is given equal opportunities and treated on an equal footing with others.
يعطى جميع الأشخاص الراغبين في التعامل مع الجهة الحكومية، ممن تتوافر فيهم الشروط التي تؤهلهم لهذا التعامل؛ فرصاً متساوية ويعاملون على قدم المساواة.
- Article 5
The article requires clear, unified information about the required works and procurement to be provided to competitors, and requires that they be able to obtain it at a set time.
تُوفَر للمتنافسين معلومات واضحة وموحدة عن الأعمال والمشتريات المطلوبة، ويمكَنون من الحصول عليها في وقت محدد.
- Article 6
The article subjects public tenders to three principles: openness, transparency and equal opportunity.
تخضع المنافسة العامة لمبادئ العلانية والشفافية وتكافؤ الفرص.
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.